Mental Health Week in Australia has just passed (4-10
October 2015).
Attending few of events related to Mental Health Week made
me think more lately how people perceive mental healthiness as something taboo.
I remember few months ago when I published in my blog that I
deal with general anxiety problem, my boyfriend at that time came to me saying
that I should not let public know about that. I should act strong.
But you know what letting people know my weakness does not
necessarily mean I am week.
By sharing my stories online, I want people who experience
the same thing with me know that they are not alone. That having issue with mental healthiness is
something that many people deal with.
Sharing my stories shows that I am strong somehow. Because
I dare to admit that I have a problem and not feel embarrass to seek out help
because it could happen to anyone. In
fact, many people who deal with the same issues don’t seek for help because
unlike physical illness, mental illness still has a stereotype. According to a
report, in each year, approximately one in every five Australians
will experience a mental illness. However, it is ludicrous to know that most
people just stay silence for serious things they are going through.
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| Source: http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/Factsandfiguresaboutmentalhealthandmooddisorders.pdf |
Mine was not something severe. I think it was something to
deal with external stressors. I did withdraw myself from many activities during
my tough time. People might not notice because from outside I look perfectly
fine but my mind inside was so hazy. So
how do I deal with the issues?
1. Talk
I let my family and few of friends I trust know my issues.
They might be the fixer but telling people your struggle leave a sense of
relieve
2. Yoga
This helps a lot, really. There is a magic in Yoga technique
that has been practised for thousand of years that somehow improve your mental
wellbeing
3. Meditation
I think the practise has significantly improved my mental
wellbeing. I practise breathing meditation that I learn when I was living
in Nepal for a short time. I also do mindfulness, which is a really great
technic to improve my quality of life.
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| Recent mindfulness journal I bought from my trip in Sydney. |
I wish in the future the society
could treat mental illness the same way they treat physical illness such as flu
or fever.
I hope you all have a great day anyway.
Love,
Olivia
Ps. I listen to this song when I feel down, it makes me feel
better all the time when I hear it.
